ColumbiaRiverCatalina.org		March 2007

Commodore
By Eric Rouzee, C36, Legacy

<<  Sorry, no report.  On the road conducting business.  >>

Vice Commodore
By Alden Andre', C38, Fly Bye

The year seems to be gearing up for a great sailing season. I'm still doing work on my boat trying to get it ready for the SYSCO Spring Series that starts in mid-April. I will be racing in the cruising class on Thursday evenings this year.

Come Fly with Me

I would like to setup a day every week starting mid March to do spinnaker flying for club members who haven’t flown spinnakers and would like to try it out on someone else’s boat. Also we can include using a whisker pole on that day also.

If this is something that might interest you please contact me.  Prior experience is not required.  The only prerequisite is that you must be a member in good standing with the Columbia River All Catalina Association.  If you're not a member then join.  For those interested in the sailing opportunity, please contact me at:

Alden Andre'
503-661-2893
alden642@comcast.net

Meeting Coming Attractions

We are going to have a great class and meeting the month of March at North Sails Oregon on the 28th. I am working with Justin on a speaker for April who sailed a Catalina 18, yes I said Catalina 18 from the west coast to Hawaii. The speakers name is Shane St. Clair and he will be working for our new Catalina Dealer.

Welcoming our New Catalina Yachts Dealership

I stopped in this month to see our new Catalina Dealer and met with Rodger and Justin and had a great visit. They are really committed to the Catalina line of boats and are very eager to be involved with CRACA. I like the direction they are taking their business to promote the Catalina line as being a high end quality product and the best choice when purchasing a sailboat. I am very excited and impressed with them and feel they will do great things in the sailboat community in Portland and the West Coast.

Boat Show Survivors Party

We had a great turn out for the Boat Show Survivors Party on February 17th. Fun was had by all.

Have a great month, hope to see you on the water and at one of the meetings.

Alden Andre'
503-929-8814
alden642@comcast.net

Secretary/Treasurer
By Kathleen Lewis, C42, Wind Raven

Membership renewals and new member applications continue to trickle in.  Our Communications Officer Dale Mack will be emailing members an Adobe PDF file version of the association roster by mid-March.  If you're a CRACA member and don't receive a copy of the roster or the roster contains incorrect information please email me with corrections.  Dale will be sending out roster updates periodically throughout the year.

The Columbia River All Catalina Association continues to grow. Boats are moored from Anacortes to Astoria and all along the Columbia River. Our members come from throughout the area.  Please welcome our newest members:

Mike and Robin Owens of Portland

Their 1986 C30 Spirit II is at Cathlamet

Jerry and Lisa Sullivan of Gresham

Their 1990 C30 Irish Luck is at Tomahawk Bay Moorage

The association's burgee is available to members for $20.  Inquiries about burgee orders should be addressed to:

Kathleen Lewis Secretary/Treasurer 17535 Monnier Road, NE Hubbard, OR 97032 (503) 981-7467 sewingmaven@msn.com

Safety Focal
By Michael Lewis, C42, Wind Raven

As the CRACA Safety Focal and a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, I will be available Saturday March 24, 2007 to conduct a Vessel Safety Check (VCS) for those ready.  I will be walking the docks at Tomahawk Bay and Hayden Bay to perform VSC’s.  You can contact me to let me know you are interested in the March 24th opportunity for the inspection.  I can be reached at:

Michael Lewis
Safety Focal
(503) 981-7467
svwindraven@msn.com

If March 24th doesn't work for you, I'll also be available on the CRACA cruise to Hadley's Landing on March 31 - April 1.

What is a Vessel Safety Check?

It is a free check of a vessel’s equipment for compliance with federal and state safety requirements. The vessel examiners performing this service have been trained to look for some of the more common problems, which might occur in your boat or its associated safety equipment. Some of the items we check are:

• Proper display of numbers
• Registration/Documentation
• Personal Flotation Devices; Life Jackets
• Visual Distress Signals
• Fire extinguishers
• Ventilation
• Backfire flame control
• Sound producing devices
• Navigation lights
• State requirements
• Overall vessel condition

If a vessel meets all of the Vessel Safety Check (VSC) requirements it is awarded a VSC decal.

CRACA's charter states that members need to get a VSC each year to meet the requirements of membership.

Fellow CRACA members,

Well the weather has finally changed and there was a lot of activity on the docks this weekend. It's great to see the sun and feel the warmth. YAHOO .

I hope everyone is looking forward to a great cruising season, I know I am.  The club meetings have been fun and informative. There is another one on March 28th, about sail trim. Check your calendar.

2007 Downriver Cruise in July

The downriver cruise at the end of July is turning into an extended trip to Astoria and Illwaco.   It's beginning to look like a ten day or fourteen day trip.  So far four boats are planning to go.  If you're interested, let me know and I will put everybody together.

Friday Night Rendezvous' this Season

Vancouver Landing Grandma's Cove

I have arranged for us to rendezvous at Shenanigan's (part of the Red Lion Hotel on the River - Jantzen Beach) on a Friday nights during the course of the season for Happy Hour from 4 pm until 8 pm.  Shenanigans’ has earned a city wide reputation for it stunning view and superb cuisine.

The hotel has a long dock that we will be permitted to use during Happy Hour.  Unfortunately due to Dept. of Homeland Security concerns about the dock's proximity to the Interstate Bridge we won't be able to stay overnight.  Because the Friday Night Rendezvous is followed by a CRACA Saturday sail between the bridges, folks will have at least four options for overnight accommodations:

• Return to your dock if nearby.
• Spend the night at the Vancouver Landing dock near the Red Lion Hotel - Vancouver.
• Anchor in current free Grandma's Cove near Schooner Creek Boat Works (SCBW likes to call the cove Canoe Bay).
• Use an empty slip at Tomahawk Bay Moorage for a nominal fee (I'm currently working on getting this one setup).

Don't forget the cruise to Hadley's Landing at the end of this month.

How's Your Bottom?

Cruising is more efficient on a clean and freshly repainted bottom.  I've arranged for a CRACA discount at North Channel Marine Boat Yard.

See you all soon James M. Elieff C. D.

Communications
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Welcome to the threshold of another great season of Columbia River sailing.  There are lots of opportunities in the coming weeks to socialize with fellow sailors regardless of your nautical interests (cruising, racing, or both).  I'm in the cruising and racing category, so between the racing clinics, and workshops on everything from fiberglass repair to sails, I find this time of the year fascinating with all the things to do while I wait for the weather to dry out a little.

Catalina 22 Rigging Workshop

Speaking of workshops, the Catalina 22 Fleet 20 Rigging workshop on Saturday, February 24 was attended by over twenty Catalina 22 owners despite of the rainy weather and cool temperature.  Topics covered during the workshop included:

The workshop featured two Catalina 22's rigged for demonstration, several coffee breaks back in the house to keep everyone warm, and lunch.  While the workshop was the draw, the lasting effects will be the personal connections some members of Catalina 22 Fleet 20 made with one another.

Sail Training with CATS (Catalina Adventures and Training Society)

If you haven't flown a spinnaker before, or you just want to go sailing on a Catalina 38, then don't let Alden Andre's (our Vice Commodore) offer go unanswered. 

The idea of hosting others aboard our boats grew out discussion during our October cruise.  The idea is to provide crew or crewing opportunities to go sailing when your standard crew isn't always available.  In 2006 I hosted nine of the OWSA's Wednesday Night Sails (WNS) and found it a wonderful experience, plus I got to do some more sailing.  In the case of OWSA, the WNS coordinator emails out a request for boats and crew three days prior to the sail, and then the day before the sail emails back to all the volunteers the boat and crew assignments.

Because some of us race Tuesday (C25's and C250's), Thursday (C22 and Cruising Class), or participate in the OWSA WNS's, I suspect no one standard day is going to work for CATS.  Instead, we'll do as Alden is doing, and send out an invitation to Catalina owners.  Participation in a CATS event will be limited to CRACA members.  Not a member of CRACA, then join, it's only $30/year.  Between the cruises, parties, guest speakers at meetings, and CATS you'll get your money's worth.

Catalina Racing

While CRACA is known as a cruising club, a significant number of its members race their boats.  One of the useful events held every year is the SYSCO Race Clinic which is targeted at first time racers and novices.  This will be my third year teaching at the clinic.  I highly recommend you attend even if your are only remotely thinking about racing.  Besides being a wonderful social event, the clinic's presentations are noted for their visual aids and colorful photos of racing on the Columbia River.

I'm looking forward to the racing this year.  I'll be racing my Catalina 22 Crocus in the SYSCO Spring Series, SYSCO Summer Series, and the CYC Summer Series.  Racing for Crocus begins mid-April and ends just before Labor Day.  The local race calendar can be found at www.sailpdx.com.

February's Meeting a Success with Larry Brandt's Presentation

Our Vice Commodore Alden Andre' has CRACA off to a great start in 2007.  With a renewed interest in parties and monthly meeting amongst the CRACA members, Alden has taken on the challenge to find locations and invite guest speakers.  The CRACA Board thanks everyone who provided feedback on what they'd like to see CRACA sponsoring.  Your comments and feedback are always welcomed.

Our February meeting was held in the Pacific Grill and Chowder House located within the Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay.  What a wonderful venue.  The restaurant put us in a private dining room overlooking the Columbia River.  Most members socialized and ate dinner before the meeting began.

Our guest speaker for the night was Larry Brandt (C36, High Flight).  Larry is also a member of CRACA.  Larry's topic was the Automatic Identification System (AIS) used for identifying and monitoring maritime traffic.  The presentation featured live demos, a projected digital presentation punctuated with beautiful photography, and Larry's flowing narrative.  Kudos to Larry for a job well done.

I'd also like to stress the networking aspects of the meetings.  Beyond the socializing and the guest speakers, many members use the meetings to connect with other CRACA members to ask questions about maintenance, upgrades, and cruising destinations. 

For Sale

Did you know you can list everything from boats to spare parts on our website.  As long as you are a member of CRACA, and the items are boating related and are not being sold for commercial reasons, CRACA will let you advertise your items for up to twelve months.

How might you use this service to reach folks beyond CRACA?  First, the CRACA newsletter announcement goes out to over 200 Catalina owners.  More importantly, you can include in your newspaper ad, or on www.craigslist.com, etc. a pointer to additional information and photos about the item on the CRACA website.

Catalina Newsletters of the Northwest

Checkout these links to Northwest Catalina newsletters and local racing:

Catalina 22 Fleet 20 of Portland www.c22pdx.org Sail Portland www.sailpdx.com Oregon Women's Sailing Assoc. www.owsa.net

Catalina Assoc.  of Tacoma and South Sound home.earthlink.net/~catss/CATSS Web Page.htm Catalina Association of Puget Sound capsfleet1.com/News Letters.htm Small Yacht Sailing club of Oregon (SYSCO) www.sailpdx.com/sysco.htm

See the calendar